Nicest-looking small, cheap rangefinder?

[bmattock]

Someone obviously has caught trend - look at BIN 290309591520 😀

It's pretty funny, but I paid $5 for mine, and I've got more than one. They almost always need to be refoamed - and on the 500G / 35|rf, it's a sticky, messy, job.

There will always be someone selling things at insane BIN prices. I guess they're willing to wait for some dumb person to bite.

 

[Al Kaplan]

OMG, a bunch of dudes discussing sexy rangefinders? Worrying about which one is the SEXIEST and why? Hell, get her a lace trimmed pink satin neckstrap and a nice shiny black low cut patent leather half case, showing as much lens as possible. Now THAT would be sexy, wouldn't it? My Leicas look more like they were liberated from a sadistic camera beater, but I still make them go around naked and I work 'em to death.

 

[yefeihe]

Balda Baldessas definitely are small and cool looking, with a winding key at the bottom and a wheel on the body for focusing. Need to be careful to get one with rangefinder, too. It's standard German practice to offer the same model in say versions a and b and c, one without rangefinder, one with rangefinder, and one with a meter in addition. See link here (not mine): http://automagisk.no/blog/2009/03/18/balda-baldessa-1b-my-first-camera/

 

[bmattock]

OMG, a bunch of dudes discussing sexy rangefinders? Worrying about which one is the SEXIEST and why? Hell, get her a lace trimmed pink satin neckstrap and a nice shiny black low cut patent leather half case, showing as much lens as possible. Now THAT would be sexy, wouldn't it? My Leicas look more like they were liberated from a sadistic camera beater, but I still make them go around naked and I work 'em to death.

Did anyone in this thread say 'sexy' besides you?

 

[Al Kaplan]

Yeah, look in the very first post in this thread:

"This is something I've been wondering about, since I stumbled upon a Minolta Hi-Matic F and thought that it must have been almost as sexy as the Petri Racer or Olympus 35 RC (which I think isn't half as nice-looking as the Racer). The aptly smoothed lines of that semi-cubic shape make the Hi-Matic F a nice-looking camera. The Petri Racer is very similar in design, but there are SO many horrible blunkers out there that just don't get there visually..

What is Your favorite? Why?"

 

[bmattock]

Yeah, look in the very first post in this thread:

"This is something I've been wondering about, since I stumbled upon a Minolta Hi-Matic F and thought that it must have been almost as sexy as the Petri Racer or Olympus 35 RC (which I think isn't half as nice-looking as the Racer). The aptly smoothed lines of that semi-cubic shape make the Hi-Matic F a nice-looking camera. The Petri Racer is very similar in design, but there are SO many horrible blunkers out there that just don't get there visually..

What is Your favorite? Why?"

My point exactly, Al. Or should I say Sauli?

 

[Al Kaplan]

Sauli? Where did THAT come from.

 

[Axel]

Agfa Selectronic S

... of course ... 😉

 

[Gottfried Sandow]

AGFA Selectronic S

AGFA Selectronic S

...yep, here´s another vote for AGFA! This Selectronic S is what I call small indeed. Still the viewfinder shows time and aperture values. I lack knowledge of the cameras mentioned above... ( at least my otherwise valued Yashica GSN doesn´t) - but I find that just awesome. And moreover, exposuretimes reach as far as 60 secds - that again is "Yashica-night-shooter-level". Only one con: the rewind mechanism... I own a changing back since 😱
...oh yessssss, AND it has a Solinar....

cheers to all !

 

[Spider67]

35 RC....and never say cheap to a Kodak Retina IIc!

 

[ruby.monkey]

Beauty is...

(Baldessa 1a - the 1b's prettier sister)

as beauty does...

(Werramatic - form follows function to great effect)

 

[Trius]

I may have to vote for the Agfa ... beautiful!

 

[Roger Hicks]

Unfortunately, looks and ability don't always go together.

I'll forego comments about politicians, but Samocas are... Well...

You know about bimbos? Unfortunately the term 'Cambo' is already a trade mark.

Tashi delek,

R.

 

[whitecat]

I have always been a little partial to the original Olympus XA and the Olympus SP.

 

[ferider]

I have always been a little partial to the original Olympus XA and the Olympus SP.

+1.

 

[Trius]

BTW, the Werra would be the winner for me (I've handled one -- wonderful), but the lens dominates the body too much.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

IMO the Ricoh 500G is quite handsome in black and brushed chrome:

http://mattdentonphoto.com/cameras/ricoh_500g.html

Chris

 

[vbarniev]

I would go for the Ricoh GX 500

 

[newspaperguy]

How about the dapper Konica L, svelte in chrome and gray (texture paint), sporting a 2.8/40 Hexar, lever wind, auto exposure... and get this - a "drawbridge" back, hinged on the bottom, that drops down to give you wide open access to your film. (Take that, Barnack.)

I won't even discuss my first "real" camera - a 127 split frame Foth-Derby... Roger Hicks reviewed it's decendant in last months Shutterbug.

 

[ludoo]

If you can tolerate an EE camera, the Mamiya 135EE is great: it's small, the same size as the Konica C35; very nice looking, if you like Japanese RFs; cheap, I got mine for 12 euros on ebay and only had to replace the light seals and battery; it has a very bright viewfinder and clear RF patch; and more importantly it constantly takes nice pics.

I love its sharp lens, very nice bokeh and excellent color rendition. I have other cameras, but this gets often tossed in my bag.

The camera



A couple of "family" pics I had here at the office taken with the Mamiya and scanned by the minilab